Click on any image to open the slideshow
Bubo virginianus (J.F.Gmelin, 1788)
Great Horned Owl
Florida native
Great horned owls range throughout North America from northern Alaska and Canada, south through Mexico to Nicaragua. Also found in parts of South America. Habitat is typically woodland, from dense forest to city parks and vacant lots.
One of the larger owls, adults are 46-63 cm (18-25 in.) in length with a 1 - 1.45 meter (40-57 in.) wingspan and weighing 910-2500 g (2-5.5 lbs.). Florida owls are of the eastern variant.
Prey include mammals, birds and reptiles, up to several times heavier than itself.
Great Horned Owls were the subject of the March 2014 Paul Rebmann Nature Photography blog post.
Bubo virginianus is a member of the Strigidae - Typical Owls family.
Other species of the Bubo genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Bubo scandiacus - SNOWY OWL
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds page for this species
Date record last modified: Jun 18, 2025
